band

L.A. OGs WAR (the ORIGINAL band): ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (1981 complete)

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warcinco
This 1981 single from WAR was the first time many non-Latinos heard of Cinco de Mayo. This photo shows the original guys at the Sunset Grill (7439 Sunset, next to their offices (Far Out Productions) at 7417 Sunset. The Guitar Center swallowed up 7417 a while back.

L-R: Charles Miller (sax, RIP), Lonnie Jordan (keyboards, the only original member in the new  WAR), Howard Scott (guitar, Lowrider Band), Harold Brown (drums, Lowrider Band), B.B. Dickerson (bass, RIP), Lee Oskar (harmonica, Lowrider Band). Not pictured, Papa Dee Allen  (RIP, percussion).

  • DISCLOSURE: I was WAR’s National Director of Album Promotion for a while and ate so often at the Sunset Grill (like in the Eagles song) I could run a tab.

Mas…L.A. OGs WAR (the ORIGINAL band): ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (1981 complete)

L.A. OGs WAR (the ORIGINAL band): ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (1981 complete)

by

warcinco
This 1981 single from WAR was the first time many non-Latinos heard of Cinco de Mayo. This photo shows the original guys at the Sunset Grill (7439 Sunset, next to their offices (Far Out Productions) at 7417 Sunset. The Guitar Center swallowed up 7417 a while back.

L-R: Charles Miller (sax, RIP), Lonnie Jordan (keyboards, the only original member in the new so-called WAR), Howard Scott (guitar, Lowrider Band), Harold Brown (drums, Lowrider Band), BB Dickerson (bass, Lowrider Band), Lee Oskar (harmonica, Lowrider Band). Not pictured, Papa Dee (RIP, percussion).

[DISCLOSURE: I was WAR’s National Director of Album Promotion for a while and ate so often at the Sunset Grill (like in the Eagles song) I could run a tab.]

Mas…L.A. OGs WAR (the ORIGINAL band): ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (1981 complete)

WAR (the OG band): ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (1981 complete)

by

warcincoThis 1981 single from WAR was the first time many non-Latinos heard of Cinco de Mayo. This photo shows the original guys at the Sunset Grill (7439 Sunset, next to their offices (Far Out Productions) at 7417 Sunset. The Guitar Center swallowed up 7417 a while back.

L-R: Charles Miller (sax, RIP), Lonnie Jordan (keyboards, the only original member in the new so-called WAR), Howard Scott (guitar, Lowrider Band), Harold Brown (drums, Lowrider Band), BB Dickerson (bass, Lowrider Band), Lee Oskar (harmonica, Lowrider Band). Not pictured, Papa Dee (RIP, percussion).

[DISCLOSURE: I was WAR’s National Director of Album Promotion for a while and ate so often at the Sunset Grill (like in the Eagles song) I could run a tab.]

Mas…WAR (the OG band): ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (1981 complete)

WAR (the original band): ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (1981 complete)

by

warcincoThis 1981 single from WAR was the first time many non-Latinos heard of Cinco de Mayo. This photo shows the original guys at the Sunset Grill (7439 Sunset, next to their offices (Far Out Productions) at 7417 Sunset. The Guitar Center swallowed up 7417 a while back.

L-R: Charles Miller (sax, RIP), Lonnie Jordan (keyboards, the only original member in the new so-called WAR), Howard Scott (guitar, Lowrider Band), Harold Brown (drums, Lowrider Band), BB Dickerson (bass, Lowrider Band), Lee Oskar (harmonica, Lowrider Band). Not pictured, Papa Dee (RIP, percussion).

[DISCLOSURE: I was WAR’s National Director of Album Promotion for a while and ate so often at the Sunset Grill (like in the Eagles song) I had credit.]

Mas…WAR (the original band): ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (1981 complete)

What are you doing? What am I doing? Be careful out there!

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sanclementetags“What are you doing?” I asked the teenage boy who was gleefully tagging a repainted space at Santiago Park in Santa Ana. Alarmed, he jumped down the small ledge to look up at the bridge where I was standing.

Others emerged from beneath the bridge to see where the stranger’s voice was coming from. There were probably five or ten of them altogether.

They looked so fresh-faced, ranging in age from perhaps 15 to the early 20s. A young adult with shoulder-length crimped hair appeared to be a leader. He wore a wide grin on his face.

A wave of sadness and great disappointment washed over me. These kids belonged in a boy band, or on a soccer team, or part of a visionary group that would put a person on Mars. Instead they were misusing their talents and potential to deface public property.

Mas…What are you doing? What am I doing? Be careful out there!

Santa Barbara H.S. seniors hire mariachis to troll principal (video)

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seniorprankSeniors at Santa Barbara High School won this week’s Best Mariachis on the Internets award when they hired a four-piece band to follow the principal through the halls.

The band played for over an hour and everything ended up copacetic — this video was uploaded by the hella cool official SBHS web person and the school district supplied this photo.

The N.Y. Daily News reports:

Mas…Santa Barbara H.S. seniors hire mariachis to troll principal (video)

Mi Casa Es Tu Casa: Los Romanticos De Zacatecas (video)

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Here’s how NPR Music producer Jasmine Garsd tells the story:

For the first installment in the Mi Casa Es Tu Casa series with Fusion, a Mexican band invites Alt.Latino into its house for lively conversation and great music.

Ever since I moved to Mexico City, I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of music at my fingertips. I’m not just talking about amazing concerts: So many artists from all over Latin America live here in Mexico, and I love being here to check in on their creative process.

Mas…Mi Casa Es Tu Casa: Los Romanticos De Zacatecas (video)

Los Master Plus, Mexican hipster music duo, loves pochos

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If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like for a Mexican hipster to remake some of your favorite English-language songs in an alternative cumbia style while wearing hipster mustaches and silver sneakers, you need look no further than Los Master Plus.

I first heard of the Guadalajara duo with their remake of King of Leons’ song, Sex on Fire, Sexo en Fuego, a homemade and tongue-in-cheek music video that makes fun of both hip hop and rock music videos in one fell swoop, last year.

Last week I hung out with El Comanche and Larry Mon at The Conga Room in Downtown Los Angeles.

Mas…Los Master Plus, Mexican hipster music duo, loves pochos